(Since the focus today is on old highways, let’s re-play this gem) Ever wonder what the view out the driver’s seat looked like fifty years ago, and not just the Hollywood version? Or maybe you’re old enough to remember, but just want to refresh the memory banks.

This film really takes me back, since we arrived in Iowa in 1960 from Austria. Made by the Iowa Transportation Dept., it points out the unsafe characteristics of some of the old stretches of Hwy. 30, then America’s primary cross-country highway (Interstate 80 was still several years in the future). This is how we crossed the country in 1960, sharing a roadway only 18 feet wide in places with trucks that could barely get out of their own way. Check out the typical 180 hp or so semi crawling up a modest little hill at about 12:40. No wonder the death rate has been plummeting since the interstates were built, along with safer cars, of course.

It’s wall-to-wall Curbside Classics, including a few “exotic” imports in Iowa then (Fiat 1100 at 6:00 and Opel Rekord at 6:40), and some nice car carriers loaded with new Ramblers and 1960 Cadillacs. Well worth the twelve minutes.

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We spent a lot of time behind that blue ’58 Dodge in that video, didn’t we?

Strangely enough, those are the type of roads I seek out now to get some relief from the Interstates… which tend to be busier and more rigorously speed-patrolled than the secondary highways.

Indeed, I well remember when these 1950’s cars were the only ones on the roads. In Canada, we had lots more imported cars than seen in this video… lots of English cars… Austins, Morrises, Vauxhalls, Ford Anglias, etc. Some French cars too… Renault Dauphines, Citroen DS-19’s, etc. And VW’s of course. But still, the big Detroit cars were the majority.

In my youth, I spent summers in Northeastern Missouri, so these roads are very common to me. For S&G’s, on the mainland, I do like these secondary highways that, if the sparse traffic some of these now have, you can actually make pretty good time not to mention find killer places to eat !!

This brings back fond memories of my first road trip, with my parents and two girl cousins, in 1961 when I was 7. We went from South Jersey to California to visit one of my Mom’s aunts in a ’61 Ford 6 cylinder (135 gross hp!) with three on the tree. Luggage for five didn’t fit into the trunk, so Dad had to get a roof rack with a canvas cover (and this was after Dad had the cousins repack – I think they were originally planning to wear a different outfit every day for three weeks).

We went via Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Crater Lake, and San Francisco to Los Angeles and San Clemente, then back via Las Vegas, and the Grand Canyon. The toll roads were finished as far as Illinois, but once we reached the end of the Northwest Tollway we didn’t see an inch of limited-access road until San Francisco. On the way back, We had the Oklahoma Turnpikes from Oklahoma City to Missouri, and while there may have been bits of Interstate finished in St Louis, Indianapolis, and Columbus, it was pretty much all two-lane until we got back into Pennsylvania. With the 6-cylinder, the weight we were carrying, and the wind resistance of the roof rack, I’m sure every pass of a slow semi on the two-lanes was an adventure.

Like a number of commenters above, when I began planning camping trips out west in the 80’s I always planned routes that bypassed the Interstates as much as possible once we were into central Illinois. Less traffic, way better scenery (US-20 and NE-2 are the best ways to cross Nebraska), a chance to have meals someplace that isn’t a chain, and less intrusive speed enforcement (ignoring the ticket I got for 96 mph on a lonely two-lane in Kansas in a Taurus SHO in ’89).

Fantastic video. Reminds me of Nebraska.
A couple of things stand out:
1. The roads seem patchier in the Midwest. Maybe frost heaving?
2. Most of the cars are contemporary, less than 10 years old. Very few 15 to 20 year old cars, which are common today.

When I ride my motorcycle, I always seek out the back-roads. The interstate speeds are too fast for me.

This was just a wonderful reminder of what was a fascinating world to grow up in. And the incessant road improvements during the 50s and 60s are what inspired my best friend and me to spend endless hours making cardboard roads and cities for our Matchbox cars, keeping them in an endless state of reinvention with older two-lane sections being widened, and drivers being met with frequent “detour” and “road work ahead” signs.

Oh, and at least two service stations (we divided up the brands that each of us “owned,” since the gas stations were the most fun to build and “paint” with colored markers) at every intersection where they could be built. There are comparatively so few today that I’d almost begun to believe we exaggerated their number, but this film certainly shows that world!

Fascinated by every construction project as I peered out the car on family trips (what was a source of annoyance to my dad was always approved by me) I’ll never forget the smudge pots (they looked like cartoon bombs, with the extra benefit of belching smoke and flame) that were kept burning to illuminate construction barriers at night. I imagine these were being phased out even in the late 50s ….

Cool film Paul Thought I saw a Minx in Ames but resolution not great, NZ highways look like this NOW 2 lane blacktop with hills and corners that have advisory speed restrictions.Do we learn car control and how to actually drive OH YES.

Those old style road signs and street scenes bring back a flood of highway memories for me. Family vacations, trips, driving for work.

I’m an old man now, but I thank the good Lord that I was able to live most of my life back when this country was one still worth living in. I remember America. My heart grieves for the young folks to which this ruined shell of a society is all that remains and all that they know.

I am a young person and I appreciate your comments toward young people–however some of us have seen the rapid change and grieve right along with you, Ben. Come to Iowa–we leave our doors open, our keys in our cars, and help our neighbors. You are welcome any time! Stop at any small town cafe, share your opinions, and your soul will be enriched, I promise. 🙂

And to the other comments above regarding the “pace car,” that was indeed a ’58 Plymouth running through the entire video.

I love this old film, it was exactly the type of educational film that we would see all through elementary and junior high school. That same sonorous narrator’s voice must have done every such film we ever saw, and that funky sort of background melodic “travelin'” music that accompanied it.

To younger CCer’s, this must look positively antediluvian, yet it was a typical road trip for us kids back in the day. These were all just normal everyday cars, seen all across America, nothing particularly remarkable about them by the standards back then (except maybe that Mark II). And do you note the almost complete absence of any foreign imports? A fun trip down memory lane!

Not only a lack of imports – almost a complete lack of anything not made by GM, Ford and Chrysler. An occasional Rambler (or a truckload of them) and even though Studebaker was still in business, an almost complete lack of them in this movie.

I saw a ’56 Hawk in one scene . . . . of course, visiting Missouri and Illinois relatives in the ’60’s through early 80s, at least in the small towns, you almost NEVER saw an imported car and even then, an occasional VW perhaps. Contrast, let’s say flying from San Francisco circa 1971, a bazillion VW’s, Datsuns, Toyotas, + the domestics (but with a large percentage of compacts), Audrain County, Missouri – you might see ONE Toyota roll through on U.S. 54 and chances are it was from the “big city” (Quincy, Illinois or St. Louis). To my recollection in the country, very few domestic compacts. Full size cars and trucks. That was it until about maybe 1989/90.

What a great piece of auto-archeology! A film so dry and unadorned could only have been made by a government, and I’m glad they did.

As it turned out, with the benefit of hindsight, the script could have been streamlined and simplified to say, “Highway relocation will remove these cluttered businesses and most of the population from each downtown, making through traffic much faster and safer…”

Wow, I missed that when you first posted it! Wonderful film, very enjoyable.

Why is it that every documentary style film shot in the 60’s sounds exactly the same? The narrator sounds so “American” if that makes sense. Was it the sound equipment that gave everyone that distinct tone of voice?

Love the music too, like I was watching an episode of Gentle Ben or something again…

The music was if it had been lifted from an episode of Leave It To Beaver. As if to say, “we’re killing and maiming people by the thousands due to the design of our crappy roads” but otherwise, life is just puffy clouds, kittens, and adorable puppy dogs.

Iowa was and is puffy clouds and kittens. Iowa was and is “Leave it to Beaver”. It’s the greatest state and we intend to keep it that way. We overwhelmingly welcomed back our Governor after his brief ‘sabbatical’ which left us with two substandard governors. Well now that he’s back, we’re sitting at 4.8% unemployment, enjoying surpluses, and regaining our #1 spot in education—-and he’ll be the longest serving governor in this country’s history. 🙂 If you value hard work, honesty, success, liberty, and peace and quiet, Iowa IS Just Right.

The style of voice work in those days was more formal. It was an age of announcing with precise pronunciations and with projected voices. What we have today sounds to me like kids right out of college talking through their noses. But I digress.

Love seeing films like this, and reading about the old days of car travel.

Sadly, when I was born, much of the US was being transformed into a ribbon of interstates, with I-5 under construction, or largely finished in places in the Puget Sound area, but to get around, there was old Hwy 99 that went through places like Tacoma, Federal Way, Seattle etc.

I read articles online I think last year where Seattle was clogged with traffic as early as the 1920’s as the automobile gained traction and people were heading N/S through the city via 4th Ave largely, so the city and others tried to propose a viaduct as early as the mid to late teens, but nothing came of it until the present Viaduct was built in the early 1950’s.

In the meantime, Alaskan Way was built, as early as the mid 30’s to bypass downtown, and funnel traffic through town, but NOT through downtown itself, this being about the time Aurora Ave was built, and opened.

Speaking of, I took part of that route today, had to head to Baxter’s Auto Parts, formerly Action Auto Parts just south of 80th and Aurora Ave to get an upper radiator hose for my car (had to order), and then take old 99 south through the Battery St tunnel and onto what remains of the old viaduct, dropping down onto the surface street, and they’ve already gotten structures going up to build the south end of the above portion of the new tunnel.

Anyway, reading about the old ways of travel through towns and such, a trip that now takes one about a day, may have taken 2 days to complete before the interstate. So unless you have the time, the interstate means much quicker travel times, and can in some places be an interesting route to take, and parts of I-5 are just that IMO.

There is a 1950 movie entitled “Gun Crazy” which contains scenes that are shot from the back seat over the shoulder of the driver and passenger. The car is a ’48 or’49 Cadillac and it’s clear that it is being driven through actual city streets, not a backlot. Watching that big steering wheel turning reminds us of how slow the steering ratios were in those cars. No power steering, either. At one point the actor makes a comment about “the pickup on this thing”. (By the way, it’s a great Bonnie and Clyde type movie if you’re into that sort of thing.)

Thought of Mike’s article when I saw that truckload of ramblers in Colo and the next town. This could have been eastern Ks and I could have been in the flick or it could be areas around central Texas right now.

From about 1968 until it was finally replaced around 1980, my father drove twice a day about a 20 mile section of U.S. 30 east (the Lincoln Highway) of New Haven, IN to the Ohio state line. That was still the old, curvy 2 lane road that was absolutely miserable. Once you hit the Ohio line, the road opened up to a 4 lane highway with a median (though not limited access) that was a perfectly fine road. That Indiana stretch of Old 30 was picturesque, but was a miserable, miserable route if you had to drive it every day. There was a LOT of semi traffic, and many stretches where passing was not a good idea. I understand the loss of the scenic two lane roads with their little gas stations, garages and motels, but I also understand why these roads are no longer used as intended.

All I can see is driving on these narrow, bumpy roads must’ve been a real challenge with the tires of the day, especially if your car was already ten years old at this point with a sloppy front end. No wonder they needed improvement. It’s interesting for me to watch as my daily driver is five years newer, I imagine roads didn’t look too much different by then. They had a lot of work ahead.

What also surprises me is the lack of curbs and defined entrance/exits from all the gas stations and buildings along the road. That and posts where you’d normally see guardrails, along with poor to nonexistant road striping further making driving those stretches with a big car challenging. Much room for improvement, no question!

Was this a pitch by the DOT on why eventually I-80 would be routed to the south of 30, and divert a lot of cross country traffic away from these communities?

I was born in ’64 and recall construction zones on 80 periodically all the way to Chicago. The “Oasis” restaurants in IL spanning 80 were heaven to a little boy traveling in the late ’60s or early ’70s – whenever they came about. We made a trip from Omaha to Chicago / Milwaukee several times from the ’60s to early ’80s to see relatives in those cities.

All those oldsters pining for these roads – really? They’re obvious death traps. No seat belts, chrome dashboards, stiletto radio knobs, flying down a narrow crappy paved 18 foot wide deadman’s curve? Gee, if you aren’t worried about yourself on these roads, how about some concerns for your family being exposed to these road hazards?

Everytime we hear someone complaining about how a highway killed off business in a town, have those complainers sit down and watch this film to remind them how flat-out dangerous the old roads used to be.

Those roads weren’t quite as dangerous when they were built, because there was less traffic and it moved slower. The 1950s, with its explosion in automobile ownership and with the horsepower race, changed all that.

Spot on, Jim. When the old sections of these highways were designed and built, it was largely done nationwide between 1924-31. Cars tracks were narrower and the average “open ‘er up” highway speed ca. 1930 was about 45-50 mph on average. Even though larger displacement cars could cruise at the grueling speeds of 60-70 mph, cord tire technology wasn’t up to sustained speeds of 60+ for very long.

My Grandmother used to tell me about “living dangerously” with their ’37 Plymouth driving it on old U.S. 54 in Missouri at “70” . . . . and eventually throwing a rod as that car was running almost flat out at the speed. It didn’t help that she ruined the Plymouth engine at the height of WW-II (1943). My Dad recalled that they were “carless” until after the war . . .

A few years ago I had a blog with old travel films on it, and this film was one of them.

I can’t recall 1960, as I was 4, but I can recall just a few years later, and it was still much the same. It took a long time for the interstate to destroy the small towns along the old highways.

Count me as another who bypasses the interstate when possible. Interstates may channel more traffic more efficiently and more safely, but a more soulless mode of transport has yet to be devised. Every time I have to drive the interstates I curse the fact that we don’t yet have full autopilot on cars.

Since we’re sharing films, here’s Lansing, MI from behind the wheel

PS, the music has the ’50s sitcom sound to it, but I don’t recognize it as specifically from LITB.

The theory back in the day was that creating a faster, safer road on the edge of town would preserve the downtown. But more often than not, the fast road becomes the new Main Street and the land on the side of the road furthest away from the downtown becomes more valuable, which spurs new development and big box sprawl that turns the old town center into a ghost town.

The problem is that roads don’t usually just supplement a given location; they often change the very nature of it.

Traditionally, people have located themselves along transportation corridors. (Before there were highways and cars, water and railroads served the same purpose.)

A new arterial road will attract commerce, just as a river once would have. The land near the highway is made more accessable and that access gives it value, while it sucks the value out of what once was but no longer is the heart of things.

We can’t build our way out of this. Either we slow traffic down and get it through the town where it can contribute to the local economy, or else we can divert the traffic to places that wlll create a new corridor of development that leaves a trail of blight behind it. I don’t know Kokomo, but I’ll bet that building a new bypass will merely create another devastated corridor.

Kokomo is EXACTLY what comes to mind when I think about bypasses. Anymore I swing over on 421 to 29, then up on 25 to Mentone, where I catch 19 all the way to Elkhart, with a brief stop at the Char-Bett in Logansport for a cheeseburger along the way.

I loved the wagon with a Uhaul and a canoe on top. Also, the sign in Ames by the crosswalk that said “picnic crossing”.
I was born in 62 and spent the first decade or more of my life traveling from the Philly suburbs to Providence RI 5 times a year. I watched the World Trade Centers being built from I95.
In 78 we did a month long cross country road trip. It never occurred to me then that the interstates were still new, since 95 had always been there for me. And now they’re over 40 years old. Yikes.

I’m pretty sure it was on 30 outside of Boone where my grandmother, who was a traveling corset/underwear salesman from the mid 20’s until WWII, was attacked by some perv as she was relieving herself. Grandma always was packing some kind of weapon, and the perv found out she had a ground down ice pick that she jabbed into his eye. He was screaming as he drove away. They never did find him. She jabbed another guy in the groin with her pick about 2 years later as he opened up an outhouse door and tried to molest her. These guys must have been desperate, as even when she was in her 20’s, grandma looked like Sam Kinison in a dress! She got better looking as she aged, but was never even average looking. She was still packing a knife in a little pocket she had sewn into her girdle when she died in ’65.

On my transfer from Cleveland to California in 2002, we rode on U.S. 54 through Missouri (parts then still as narrow in the Western part like this 1960 U.S. 30), but opened up quite wide through Kansas and virtually NOBODY on the road it seemed, all through the sliver of the Oklahoma panhandle, Texas and New Mexico ’til it met up with I-40. We made real good time once into Kansas through to N.M.

Thanks, Paul for a treasured snapshot from another time and another place.

I know those old blue highways were unsafe, slow, inefficient and inconvenient but they really got drivers closer to the country and towns they passed. Those narrow right-of-ways brought it all right up to the windshield, unlike the remote detachment of the limited-access Interstates.

great video….what struck me was, it’s 1960 in rural Iowa and there are very few cars earlier than circa 1955 and maybe one or two from the 40s, even though a 48 would have been 12 years old at that point…was the economy that much better that everyone who could afford a car had a relative late model, or did cars just wear out that much quicker?

I really think cars wore out faster, for all the nostalgia about the “good old days” of cars, if you were familiar with them, they needed constant maintenance to keep them on the road. I was reading the old “Modern Garage” stories with Gus the mechanic from Popular Science, and it was a real reminder about all the fussing you had to do to keep a car on the road back then. If you’ve never read about Gus and the Modern Garage, these are a real treat.

Also, cars didn’t last much beyond 50K-60K miles before being considered worn out, used up by most. It wasn’t until the mid 60’s that a car could safely run beyond 100K miles, and one of the first was the now tried and true 225 slant six from Chrysler.

I know first hand as my parents had a ’64 Dodge wagon with it, and the 3spd torqueflite auto and we sold it with something like 145K miles on it, not rebuilt. True it was nearing end of life, but it still ran though!

Oil changes every 2000-4000 miles, tune ups about every 10-15K common. Change points and condenser with the plugs; adjust the carb and check the timing sometimes sooner than the recommended 10K (more often if you had a ‘hot’ car). Lube points not only on the ball joints or kingpins, but sometimes the spring shackles, u-joints. Remember adding water to batteries? Lucky if you got 15K out of most of the old rayon/nylon 4-ply tires. Drum brake shoes? City driving 15-20K; maybe 40K if you did nothing but highway driving. Paper filters were new in the late 50s, so the oil bath air cleaner element and oil screens/cartridge filters had to be cleaned/replaced with every 2000 mile oil change. In many ways, I don’t miss the “old days” maintenance.

Technologically we have improved. Culturally, not so much. People were happy to pay higher gas taxes for better, safer roads in that day, but now they won’t pay to maintain them, even if it means collapsing bridges.

The video is up to snuff; problem lies with the existing Eastman Kodakcolor prints which fade and deteriorate over time. Eastman and Deluxe color gave budget and quickie filmmakers the opportunity to produce color movies and TV shows at a much lower cost than Technicolor. Again, the problem lies that these prints don’t hold up well over time and unless it is of some significant social or artistic value, entities that preserve films are reluctant to restore them because of the costs involved.